~I dont trust to nothing but I know it comes out right~

There are four main religions in Laos: Theravada Buddhism, Animism, Spirit worship (officially banned but common), and Christianity. There are also other 100 distinct ethnicities that compose the 5+ million population. The result: Laos is a giant melting pot where tribesfolk and city dwellers with bloodlines from Tibet to Malaysia peacefully coexist under a communist government that most everyone likes. Except for one group, the Hmong. There are actually more Hmong in California than Laos because after siding with the US in the American War (what the most bombed country in history calls the Vietnam War) they were outcast from society and many followed there leader to the States.

But we did get to visit a Hmong community. Five of us hired two guides (both named Sais) to take us into the mountains. This trek wasn't as rigorous as my solo journey around Mae Hong Son but the community waiting for us at the top was better. The hilltribe village of 75 families was half Hmong and half Kamu. They were all very very shy but the Chief's family did manage to interact minimally with us through our Sais translators. The journey was packed with tasty Laos food including spicy eggplant, buffalo skin in chilli paste and grilled fish all scooped up with sticky rice and fingers. This is no country for germaphobes. Up in the village, we met a Russian girl who was just taking a ten day break from her year of chilling on Bali. We played this fantastic blend of volleyball and hackysack called Kataw with the local schoolkids. We also played American, German, and Laos drinking games with the infamous LaoLao - local moonshine circa 50%. Altogether it was a magical night.

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The next day, a quick hike preceeded a half day Kayaking trip down the Namu river. It was fun and we hit a few Class 2 rapids but everyone got pretty burnt from being out in the sun. That night one of the guides took us out to his brother's restaurant for Lao food and then to a Lao dance club. The music was hysterically bad - we're talking Barbie Girl and Happy Birthday mixed into the tunes - but the three of us healthy enough to go out still had a good time.

The next day, after a quick trip to the ethnology museum, Jonas and I shared a life threatening experience of taking a van through hairpin turn mountain roads flying 70 kph toward Vang Vieng. But we finally made it. We met up with Erica who had beat us to the town by a couple days and we drank shakes and chilled by the river while Jonas departed for the epic Jungle Party they have here on Friday nights.

On the topic of party, Vang Vieng is a partygoers paradise. They actually had to close down all the river bars because people kept dying. Three reopened recently but are much more tame than before. The regular bars in town all sell weed, opium, mushrooms, and nitrous balloons out in thr open although the crime is punishable by death. Plain-clothed policeman, happily watch the transactions take place and the follow the floating westerners to bust them for smoking joints. 400 usd will save you a jail sentence. Its pretty messed up if you ask me, but its just one of many scams designed to redistribute western wealth to Laos. Integrity is a scarce resource in this country.

Overall our timing was pretty good. Yesterday we witnessed one of two festivals in Laos - the rocket festival! Local men crossdress  and parade down the streets on pickup trucks blasting music. Finally, theyshoot off rockets to the sky for four hours to piss off the Gods so it rains. Oddly enough, yesterday evening was the biggest thundershorm I've seen in a while, with part of our hostel's roof collapsing and rain flying sideways a la Forest Gump. It was pretty cool to watch actually. We also managed to bike 7 km in the midday heat (me stupidly on a city bike) up rocky unpaved roads to the Blue Lagoon where we jumped of tree branches and ropeswings and played Volleyball with some Japanese kids that were on our slowboat into Laos.

Today the agenda includes tubing down the river bars and trying not to get burnt. Wish me luck!